In January 2022, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain arrived in China for a five-day visit with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. This collective visit, which also seemingly solidified what policy analysts have been referring to as ‘the Gulf’s eastward turn,’ signaled a potential loosening of American hegemony in the region.

Language is a wide-ranging subject. I would like to use this short blog to share my thoughts about why it is important to consider the Chinese language when we talk about 21st century Sino-Arab relations.